Fans awaiting the return of starting pitchers Cory Luebke and Joe Wieland from "Tommy John" elbow reconstruction surgery might have to wait longer than originally expected for Luebke and not as long as anticipated for Wieland.

Luebke, whose original return was listed as soon as June, won't be returning before the All-Star break.

After again experiencing discomfort in his elbow, the left-hander has been shut down a second time and isn't expected to start throwing again for another two weeks at least.

"The rehab protocol says it could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months," said Luebke who had "Tommy John" surgery last May 23.

Luebke met recently with Dr. James Andrews who said there isn't a problem but advised Luebke to step back on his rehab throwing program.

"Dr. Andrews showed me a list of the pitchers who needed 18 months to return," said Luebke.

Meantime, Wieland, who had his "Tommy John" surgery at the end of last July is rehabbing at the Padres temporary extended spring training base in Surprise, Ariz. He could return as soon as the first week in August if his current schedule holds.

Your Questions:

Q: When Cameron Maybin and Logan Forsythe come off the disabled list, can they be optioned to Triple-A Tucson? I don’t want to mess with the combination the Padres have right now. Darrel S, La Jolla

A: Maybin is out of options. He cannot be optioned to Triple-A Tucson at the end of his rehab assignment without being passed through waivers. Forsythe could be optioned to Tucson.

A: Since Maybin is out of options, he has to go back on the major league roster when he finishes rehab. There are three candidates to go out when Maybin is activated. If he is not going to be a regular at the major league level, Kyle Blanks might be better served playing every day at Triple-A Tucson. Jesus Guzman is batting only .206, but he is the club’s primary right-handed pinch-hitter and a popular player in the clubhouse. Mark Kotsay has been nursing a sore back and could be a candidate for the disabled list if the Padres need a spot. Forsythe could be optioned at the end of his rehab. At the moment, the Padres only backup infielder is Alexi Amarista.

Q: Because the Padres want to limit the innings on (Andrew) Cashner and could have Luebke and Wieland returning from surgery late in the season plus the possibility of looking at some younger arms, could they go to a six-man rotation late in the season? Joe T., El Cajon

A: I think that depends on how many veteran pitchers are still around at the end of the season. If all of a sudden, they have a bunch of young pitchers in the rotation, a six-man rotation makes sense, especially after Sept. 1 if they want to look at some young arms.

Q: Excluding Chase Headley, what Padres, in order, would you extend right now if you were the general manager. Greg W., San Diego

Q: “Will Venable reached first base on a dropped third strike that was ruled a wild pitch (May 10) at Tampa Bay. He stole two bases and scored on a balk. This was ruled an earned run. Why? If the dropped third strike was ruled a passed ball, would that have changed the ruling? Was the balk the sole reason?” Bob Gates, San Diego

A: It was an earned run because the two Tampa Bay elements of the run were the responsibility of the pitcher – Alex Cobb. He threw the wild pitch on strike three that allowed Venable to reach first. He committed the balk that allowed Venable to score. Had strike three been ruled a passed ball, the run would have been unearned.